Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Josh Morrissey was selected by the Prince Albert Raiders in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft after skating for Calgary Royals Gold and being named the top bantam defenseman in southern Alberta.

2010-11: Morrissey made his WHL debut skating in five games with Prince Albert, spending most of the season with the Calgary Royals midget AAA team and competing for Team Alberta in the Canadian Winter Games. He was minus-three with no points and four penalty minutes in his brief time with the Raiders. Morrissey scored 17 goals with 22 assist and had 11 penalty minutes in 30 games for the Royals. In six AMHL playoff games he scored 1 goal with 3 assists and 10 penalty minutes. Playing for Team Alberta, which won the bronze medal at the CWG, he scored 1 goal with 3 assists and had 10 penalty minutes in six games.

2011-12: Morrissey skated in 68 games for Prince Albert in his first full WHL season and competed in the 2012 U17 World Hockey Challenge and U18 World Junior Championship tournaments. He scored 10 goals with 28 assists and was minus-two with 60 penalty minutes for the Raiders, who missed the playoffs; finishing with the WHL’s worst record. Skating for Canada Pacific at the WHC, Morrissey scored 1 goal with 1 assist and and had 10 penalty minutes. He played for bronze medal-winning Canada at the U18 WJC and had 3 assists in seven games; finishing minus-one with 22 penalty minutes.

2012-13: Morrissey was the leading scorer amongst defensemen for Prince Albert in his second season as the Raiders finished with a winning record for the first time since 2003-04. He scored 15 goals with 32 assists and was plus-14 with 91 penalty minutes. Prince Albert was second to Saskatoon in the East Division. Morrissey had 1 assist and was minus-three with 9 penalty minutes in the four-game playoff series with Red Deer. He joined Team Canada for the 2013 U18 World Junior Championship and scored 2 goals with 4 assists and was plus-seven in the first four games of the tournament. Morrissey was ranked 11th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting mid-term rankings, slipping to 27th in the final rankings, and was selected by Winnipeg in the first round (13th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Morrissey attended camp with the Jets before returning to Prince Albert for his third WHL season; signing a three-year entry-level contract with Winnipeg in October 2013. He made his pro hockey debut in April with Winnipeg AHL affiliate St. John’s; skating for the IceCaps during their playoff run to the Calder Cup finals. Morrissey had 1 assist and was plus-1 with 2 penalty minutes in eight regular season games with St. John’s. The IceCaps finished second in the Atlantic Division but reached the Eastern Conference finals, defeating Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, before falling to the Texas Stars in the Calder Cup finals. Morrissey played in 20 of 21 playoff games, scoring 2 goals with 7 assists, and was +1 with 20 penalty minutes. He was the second-leading scorer amongst WHL defensemen behind Seattle’s Shea Theodore (ANA). In 59 regular season games he scored 28 goals with 45 assists and was plus-6 with 59 penalty minutes. The Raiders were fourth in the East Division before being swept by Memorial Cup champion Edmonton in the first round. Morrissey scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was minus-1 with 6 penalty minutes in four playoff games. Morrissey played for Canada at the 2014 World Juniors. In six games he scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was minus-3 with 4 penalty minutes. Canada finished fourth after losing to Russia, 2-1, in the bronze medal game.

Talent Analysis

Morrissey is one of the elite defensemen in his age group. A key power play performer in junior hockey, his offensive instincts are immediately evident. He is an accurate passer and carries the puck with confidence. Morrissey is not hesitant to initiate the transition from defense to offense. His high level technical skills fit well with some of the young forwards in the Winnipeg system.

Future

Morrissey impressed in the Young Prospects tournament and made a push for a roster spot with the Jets as a 19-year-old before being returned to Prince Albert for a fourth season of junior hockey in 2014-15. He is a leading candidate to compete in his second world junior tournament with Canada. The team captain for the Raiders, he should continue to hone his game in the WHL while adding strength and physical maturity. Morrissey is expected to be an effective offensive defenseman and a game-changing type player when he eventually makes the Winnipeg roster.

Photo: Not even Winnipeg’s top prospect Nikolaj Ehlers is guaranteed an NHL roster spot due to the Jets’ enviable organizational depth (courtesy of Francois Laplante/Freestyle Images/Getty Images)

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The Spring edition of the Hockey’s Future ranking of the Top 50 NHL prospects continues with the 21 thru 30 section. The top part of this ranking features several promising defensive prospects, including Winnipeg Jets draft pick, Josh Morrissey. Read more»

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Photo: Chase De Leo has taken on a larger role with the Portland Winterhawks and demonstrated offensive upside (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Winnipeg Jets were expected to struggle out of the gate this year — particularly in the goaltending department — but thanks to a strong team defense and a balanced scoring attack they are holding their own. The Jets have been good on the road thus far, posting a 6-4-2 record away from the MTS Centre.Read more»